Known rotary vehicle wash components are rotated at speeds from about 60 RPM to 110 RPM when washing a vehicle. Much of this rotational speed is needed to extend the flexible washing elements that make up the brush to their working length. This enables the otherwise limp washing elements to reach the surface of a vehicle to be washed, and help maintain a safe working distance between the vehicle surface and the rotary car wash brush's rigid central hub. Unfortunately, as the rotational speeds of these vehicle wash brushes are increased to provide a necessary working diameter, other problems are created.
One known problem with conventional brushes that rotate at high speeds is that the higher the speed at which the prior media elements contact the vehicle surface increases, the possibility of damaging the exterior surface of the vehicle also increases. While these prior media elements are soft, fine hazing and micro-scratching of a painted vehicle surface can occur as a result of the velocity at which the media elements impact the vehicle surface. This is particularly true if the media elements are carrying dirt particles or the like when they contact the vehicle exterior. Rotating these brushes at high speeds can also cause damage to the vehicle through the media elements lassoing wipers, mirrors, antennas or the like and potentially tearing them off.
Still another problem with the high speeds at which current vehicle wash brushes are rotated is that they create significant noise during the vehicle washing process. The high volume of noise is known to dissuade some customers from choosing to use friction car washes as it can cause an unpleasant washing experience for vehicle occupants. Indeed, many persons, particularly young children, can become uncomfortable by the experience of riding through a car wash filled with noisy, rotating, and undulating mechanical elements which have been characteristic of commercial car washes for decades. Still other consumers are dissuaded from using friction car washes due to the perception that the high speed at which prior brushes rotate creates an unsafe environment.
Still another problem with rotating these brushes at high speeds is that substantial energy is required to maintain their operation. In addition to increased energy costs, the vehicle wash equipment can wear prematurely due to the aggressive nature in which they are operated, which also increases the cost of operation. Additionally, rapidly rotating brush elements tend to sling water and dirt over long distances, giving rise to substantial maintenance tasks for the owner or operator of a commercial car wash.
Moreover, conventional rotary car wash brushes employ washing elements affixed in a plurality of rows, with each row being generally parallel to the brush's axis of rotation. This causes the washing elements in each row to contact the vehicle surface all at once, producing a correspondingly high level of noise. Because the wash elements always contact the vehicle parallel to the vehicle's direction of travel, they agitate soils on the vehicle surface and attempt to “flick” the soils away from the surface. These wash elements, however, do not actively channel or move soils away from the vehicle surface. Also, because the wash elements always contact the vehicle surface in rows parallel to the vehicle's direction of travel, it is possible for gaps to exist between the wash elements, resulting in alternating stripes on the vehicle surface of clean and unclean areas, known in the trade as “zebra striping”.
It would thus be desirable to provide a vehicle wash component that addresses these issues.